Tuesday 18 July 2017

A small pot of paint goes a long way

Hello and good morning. Thank you to Jean for the question about my paint. 
You always seen to have plenty of paint for projects, where does it all come from? I know you buy test pots, and mention free paint, but with all your summer house painting and projects, you must spend a lot. So what is your secret of never ending paint, and how do you get "free" paint? Jean.
Yes, it must seem like I spend a lot of money on paint, I always appear to have some on hand. Flis is right, friends gave me some half tins of paint for the summer house, so that was free, I also used some of my small pots. This is what I have left.
Small tins of Crown, these came from Hull Scrapstore. They were included in my £5 per basket, along with lots of fabric. So they cost very little. 
These Coverplus plastic tester pots came from Woolworths just before they closed, that was a few years ago. They cost 4p each, there was a lot more but I am on the last dregs now.

Got these on a previous visit to the Scrapstore, again as part of a basket, only three left, had about twelve to start with.

Cuprinol, bought a few months back from Wilko. You can see that they were 10p each.

The total sum of what I have left. It's all vinyl silk emulsion or similar, so the brushes can be cleaned in water. I don't have as many colours left to play with now, so I will be keeping my eyes open when I go in  diy shops that sell paint, and look for anything that is reduced.

I treat all my shopping in the same way. As well as food being reduced, shops sometimes clear out excessive stock to make way for new. It's a case of being alert, not walking around in a dream, and scouring the shelves for any offers. The word 'reduced' is imprinted in my brain, if I spot something I want to know what it is, and if it will be of any use to me.

There is a reduced section in The Range, a big department store that has an extensive selection of arts and crafts items. I very rarely find anything in there, they don't knock much off, but when I am in the shop I take a look just in case. It's like the reduced dry goods (food) in Tesco, nothing much there, but on occasions they have dented tins which are marked down to very cheap.

If I go in any shop my eyes scan the shelves, the bins, and around the till area, searching for the words Reduced, or Offers, or Sale. All these little savings add up and it means that I get to keep my money in my purse and save up a little nest egg for spending on treats. It's the fun of beating the system for me, like a tug of war between me and them. I know more or less what I am prepared to pay for things. If the price is too high I walk away.

Paint is very expensive, my whole house could do with a lick of it, but I am not prepared to spend the money because it's not a priority. I might tart it up a bit if I find some cheap enough, but I don't enjoy painting whole doors and walls inside a house. The summer house was different, I could slap it on, it didn't matter that it wasn't perfect.

Anyway, I've got tho go, Heidi needs to have a tablet, that's if I can find her, she went out earlier but might be back in now. Garcia has been in for his breakfast, he scoffed it down that quick, he brought it back up again, yuk. Mayze is lounging on the dining room table aka the painting/sewing table. It's going to be a hot one today. I shall go and see Stan in the mobile library later to change some books.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

17 comments:

  1. I bought one of those Cuprinol Garden Shades tester pots this morning in Homebase for £1.99, so you really did well at 10p Ilona! Eilidh x

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  2. I live in a big UK city, walking distance from dozens of charity shops. I'm clothed head to toe in smart cheap clothes that tend to be well made, since they've survived at least one other owner! I recently kitted myself out for a family wedding in a navy polka dot dress, a glittery cardigan and gorgeous giant red wooden beads. Anyone who disses charity shops really misses the point don't they? I've taught my children to "scour" for bargains like you do Ilona and they are experts!

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  3. I'm always tuned in for a useful bargain too Ilona.My mum was a bit Hyacinth Bucket,I think she would tutt at me sometimes.Whilst on holiday this time,someone had left a bag of old clothes by the dustbin again .I looked in and took some.The lady was very slim and so just took the stretchy.I am wearing a lovely linen top today.Also when I go out nearer Christmas I now have a sequin dress I shall wear with trousers.Gorgeous x

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  4. Thank you for your reply about the paint Ilona. I do now recall some being from the Scrapstore, but at the time I was more interested in your fabric haul and seeing if there was a Scrapstore near me, which of course there isn't. Like you I love a reduced bargain, but usually look at supermarket food, and also bits and bobs after Christmas and other seasonal promotions. With me it's partly because I can't stand things, especially food in shops being thrown away, and also, if they can reduce something, they were likely charging too much in the first place. Like you I also like to spend my money on the big important things and , as you say, treats. That Woolworths buy was excellent, but it's a bit late for me now, ha ha. My friends tend to use just white and cream paints, so no luck there. However, I will keep an eye open at Wilko, the Range and other diy stores, including our local privately owned one, and I shall make a point of asking. Thanks. Jean.

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  5. Talking of food waste, which I have just mentioned in my previous comment, I would like to mention something about a supermarket which does not reduce items. I tend to arrive at this supermarket in the evening and noticed that more than one trolley , filled to the top with fruit, salad, veg and flowers, was going through the checkout and then being literally thrown into another trolley. When I asked a checkout girl if it was being disposed of, she said that it went back to the head depot. When I then asked if they then threw it away, she said, "I believe so".
    This, in my opinion is awful, not only was the food perfectly good to eat, (sell by dates mean little), but think of all the workers who grew it, carbon footprint transport, cost to deliver it etc, not to mention the needy, homeless and starving. What an outrageous waste !

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  6. The food waste one was from me, Jean, but it got published before my paint one, plus I forgot to sign it. Jean

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  7. There was a lady in the village where I am that used to pull out food from the supermarket skip .I saw her get boxes of pies and bread .Sadly one day the supermarket stopped her by putting a lid on top.I always spoke to her and gave her dog some biscuits.I rarely use that shop now,it left a sour taste x

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  8. Paint is free to take away at our local Household Recycling Centre (aka The Tip) and I believe many others across the country too. Saves them having to dispose of it! You have to hunt through the tins & pots & shake them well to work out which ones still contain usable paint, as some are just dried-up remains, but we regularly rescue almost-full tins of Farrow & Ball, Laura Ashley and other far-from-cheap brands. Also Hammerite, Cuprinol and best of all, Danish Oil for the wooden things I rescue & refurb. If they haven't got the sort of colour I'm after, I will mix tins of the same type until I have enough for the job in hand. It's a long time since I paid for paint!

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    1. Alas, our local recycling, aka tip, refuses to take paint ! Jean.

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  9. I've got a container full of old tester pots that I've had when decorating rooms etc. They do come in handy for various things, for e.g. you can use them to repaint old picture frames for a different look. I hate supermarket food waste, makes me very angry. All this health and safety rubbish, I regularly eat food that's out of date (using common sense of course). It's awful that we have so many homeless people who would be glad of it, I don't understand how Britain has become such a jobsworth country, full of rules and regulations that seem to serve no one.

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  10. My local B n M store,have put their Johnstone tester pots up from £1 to £1 50 so i wont be using them again!,Instead ive bought a tin of Hi Vis yellow for a £1,so today Im painting an old Im painting an old dining room chair,...Im its 3rd owner..thats been sat in my garage for the last 9 years!It will have a new life in my kitchen!,Ive also got a vintage curtain,that is bright yellow with birds on,that im going to put on curtain wire,to fill in all the gaps in my kitchen where the doors have broke.My Gran used to do this with gingham check material.Then just got to get a couple of floor tiles from somewhere to fill in where the others have broke.So Im makeing do and mending my nearly 25 year old kitchen for next to nothing!...We have got a tip place not to far from where i live about a 20 min drive away.It has a Loros shop on its site where i bought a vintage coffee table from a few years go....I dont know what its ruling is about paint,wood and materials..but next time i go there,i will ask them if they do a Scrap store as it does seem a waste if some things can be mended and recycled.Have a great day!,Debi,Leic,x

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  11. Hi Ilona,

    Just wanted to let you know that a series about crafting is starting on Channel 4 next Tuesday. It looks quite interesting and might be worth checking out on catch up.

    Details here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/craft-it-yourself

    Xx

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  12. Oh i know that i have already commented today but i am soooooooooo excited!!!!...No i havent won a free holiday or a million pounds....But i noticed yesterday,near the bottom of my Yucca plant in the garden,where the compost used to be...a few leaves that looked like spring onion leaves.So i thought that i would pull them up...and they are garlic!!.I feel like i have just given birth!,Lol.Cheered me up no end!,Ive even left the muck on them for now so that i can show my Hubby...and anyone else that visits today,lol,Although im sure they wont be as excited about it as i am,ha ha,Debi,Leic,x

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    1. Perhaps the recycling fairies have left you a gift Debi.They say garlic is a token of good luck x

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    2. Oh,i do hope so Flis!..Although,i was right..my Hubby wasnt over impressed with it.He just sort of glanced at it when i showed him and said,oh..err,great n then went and sat in the living room....without even a backward glance at my pride and joy.Lol.Makes me wonder why i married him sometimes,Lol,Debi,Leic,x

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  13. You have just made my day Ilona. I've lived in my home for almost 24 years and used to redecorate every three years or so. But I now have arthritis in one shoulder and paint is so very expensive plus I don't like decorating so I keep putting it off. Like you I tart up odd bits but the thought of painting whole rooms and doors is extremely daunting. It looks quite clean and I don't smoke so am just chug along. Love your blog Ilona x

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  14. They have room paint in Home Bargains. I think it was £4.99 for a big square pot full. (Emulsion for walls) white or cream. Don't forget you can blend with some you already have if you want more colour! :)

    Thanks for all the tips x

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